Dredge sluice jig



D. STEEL DREDGE sLUIcE, JIG

Filed Jan. 5. 1925 Nov. 29, 1927.

Patented Nov. 29, T927.

UNITED STATES DONALD STEEL, OF d'AR-BIDGE, NEVADA.

DREDGE SLUICE JIG.

Application filed January 3, 1923.

This invention relates to a concentrating apparatus and especially to acombined jig and concentrator, particularly adapted for` operation ondredges and' in other adapta.- tions.

The object of the invention is to provide a combined concentrator andjig which is compact in construction and so designed as to save valuablespace and head room, especially onr a. dredge, and to relieve the hullof the dredge of a great'weight of sluices and riftlesfor saving values;to pro vide a multiple screen jig provided with` mobile mats which areheld against shifting l5 when subjectedv to various swaying motionsofthe dredge; to` provide a concentrator combined with a source ofsupply having means for checking the rush of water and solids, therebypreventing scouring of the concentrator, and furthermore affording apreliminary trap whereby large and heavy objects, such as stones kandpieces of iron, are trapped, and it also serves as a check to gentlyfeed the material into compartments which follow; and further to providenovel ymeans for transmitting an agitating inovement to the sand in thejig compartment, and simultaneously a movement which will serve toadvance the waste material over the concentrating screens. Other objectswill hereinafter appear. f

One form which my invention may assume is exemplified in the followingdescription and illustrated in the accompanying 7 drawings, in whichFig. 1 is a central vertical longitudinal section of the sluice jig,

Fig. 2 is a central vertical crosseection of the sluice jig.

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the sluice jig. Referring to the drawings indetail and particularly to Fig. 2, A indicatesthe sluice of a dredge andB the jig box. This box is placed in line with the sluice and transversely of the same. AThe jig 'comprises a preliminary box or trap t,which is dropped below the bottom of the sluice A, and it is providedwith a forward wall 5 which forms one side of a jig compartment orchamber G. The water and solids rushing down the sluice are delivered tothe trap l and the chamber 6 by a pipe 4b. The latter chamber isprovided with an adjustable dam 7 over which the discharge takes place.The sluit-e A continues at the oppoiste end of the box B, as shown at 8,and is provided with Serial No. 610,432.

an adjustable gate 8aM which cooperates with the dam 7. The dam 7regulates the depth of solids whichmay collect upon a screen generallyindicated' at 9 and the gate 8a regulates the head of water maintainedabove the screen, said screen forming a Hoor for the chamber 6. Thesolids trapped in the box i may be removed as occasion requires througha discharge spout 4t and clear water may be admitted to the trap throughmeans of a feed pipe 451. Arranged below the chamber 6 is a jig box 10.This jig box forms a support for the jig tray containing screen 9 andalso a lower screen generally indicated at l1. The upper screen or thatindicated at 9 is provided with an adjustable dam 7 as already stated,and the lower screen is similarly provided with an adjustable dam whichregulates the amount of solids permitted to collect thereon. The dam 7in each instance represents the discharge side of the respective screensand the opposite end is the delivery or feed side thereof.

To render this apparatus especially adaptable for service on dredges inwhich case the grade is constantly varied with the movement of thedredge, T provide a series of transverse bars as indicated at 11a. Thesebars form pockets which are filled with coarse concentrates or othersuitable material which forms 'a mat of desired weight and depth, thedepth of the mat being controlled by the height of the bars 11a. Thepockets or partitions formed retain the mat from drifting or shiftingfrom side to side with relation to the screens when the dredge isrocking or swinging, and uniform results may, therefore, be. maintainedunder all conditions.

The jig box B terminates in a V-shaped bottom generally indicated at 10,see Figs. Q and 3. Vater is admitted to the box at a point below thescreen 11 by means of perforated pipes such as indicated at 10. Thiswater passes upwardly through the screens and carries away slime andlike material, while the concentrates passing through the screens settledown between the inclined bottom sections l() and are removed from timeto time through taps indicated at 10% y As previously stated the screens9 and 11 are supported by the jig tray, which consists of connected sidesections 9a. The screens are given a reciprocating motion first upwardand forward, and then downward and backlward by means of cams 12 androcker arms 13. The cams 12 when rotating engage the rollers 14 whichcauses the rocker arms to Swine' a short distance about shafts 15 as anaxis. The rocker arms are pivotally connected to lugs 16 which in turnare attached to the side sections 9a which support the screens, and asthe cams are continuously revolving, it can be readily seen that amovement is imparted first in an upward and a forward. direction, andthen in a downward and back direction when the cams vrelease the rollers1li. The rockers arechecked during their return movement by a buffer 17and springs 18 lwhich impart a certain amount of jar at the end of eachstroke, this being important as it n'iaterial'ly i1nproves theconcentrating action.

The operation of the apparatus is as lows: Y

Having placed upon the screen 1l a mat of heavy concentrates or othersuitable material, and having filled the jig borv with water and turnedyon water 'through Vthe several feed pipes indicated, it is onlynecessary to impart a reciprocal movement to the screens to set the jigin full operation. The

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material from the sluice A ordinarily moves at a very high speed and theratio ofsolids to water is comparatively small. This speed results inscouring anyl unprotected surface of the screen or like obstacle but isavoided in this instance as the rush of water is first checked by thetrap 4t, and secondly by the gate 8*. 1Securing action is furtheravoided as a fairly heavy mat of concentrates or the like is maintainedon the surface of the screen 9 by means `of the dam 7. As the rush `ofwater is checked, it is obvious Athat precipitation of solids will takeplace, the heavier solids being caught vin the trap a and the lightermaterial sett-ling` down 'in the surface-of the mat maintained above thescreen 9. As this and the screen bel-ow are constantly vibratevdor-inoved upward or forward they carry the gravel and ore upwardly andforwardly, and as the screens fall or .travel back they allow the gravelandere to drop vertically through the water to a point on the screen inadvance of the point of beginnino'. Bi this action the material is .toto v carried or moved mechanically across the screen to the dischargeend. rlhe heavier particles vsettle faster than the lighter and allparticles that are liner than the screen 9 will gradually l pass throughwith the line sands tothe screen 11; here,'the `heavy particles passthrough the mat and the screen 11, but the finer sands will not passthrough as the upwardly flowing current of water suppliedby theperforated lpipes 10 checks or prevents the passage Ycf the liner sands.rlhese sands wil l,therefore, gradually work towards the dam 8a and willdischargeinto the chamber 11C. Any heavy partielles too `scribed comrising a 'i0' o t:

F rom the foregoing it can be seen thatV certain heai-fy material iscoiiected behind the upper lam 1" and that the finest heavy material pas through the screens 9 and l1 and is tin? collected in the hutch indi-Sii cated at 11h. No sands or slimes will enter the hutch due to thecounter-current estab--y lished by the incominv feed water delivered bythe pipes 10 and such sands as pass through the screen 9 will,therefore, discharge over the lower dam Sa and enter the passage 11".Other line material, lsuch as slimes, mud, etc., is maintained insuspen-k sion by the agitating movement of the tray and the screenscarried thereby and as such will not settle but flow through the chamberG and out through the sluice 8. The destruction of the mat ordisplacement of the mat maintained above the screen 11 is lprevented byproviding the cross bars 11a and the mechanical advance of all materialto be discharged is taken care ofv by the vibrating movement imparted.It will, therefore, be seen that I have produced a combined and sluicewhich will effectively treat placer material on a dredge. Further, thatthis is so constructed as to require a minimum of space in proportion tothe screening area aiforded, and, as it is set low, head room is alsoreduced. rlhis will also displace many heavy sluices and reduce thenecessary size of hull to secure flotation'.

lWhile certain features of the present invention are more or lessspecifically illustrated, l wish it understood that various changes inform and proportion may be resorted to within the scope of the appendedclaims, similarly that the materials and finish ot the several partsemployed may be such as the experience and judgment of the manufacturermay dictateV or various uses may demand. y 'y Having thus described myinvention, what claim and desire to secure by Letters atent is- 1. Anapparatus of the character debox, asluice connected to each end of thebox, one sluice lforming a delivery and one a discharge, i'neans in thedelivery sluice for breaking the force of the water and solids deliveredto the so that the water and solids will be gently delivered thereto, anadjustable gate in the discharge sluice regulating the llo height ofwater maintained in the jig boX and also maintaining the water in acoinparatively quiet condition, a Vibrating jigl within the box, aplurality of interspaced screens disposed directly above each other andsupported by the Vibrating jig, an adjustable dani on each screen toregulate the height of solids maintained' thereby and forming, adischarge dain on each screen, the uppermost dani being in substantialalignnient with the discharge of the sluice and discharging into thesaine, a second discharge sluice disposed below the first naineddischarge sluice,V a discharge spout on the lower-most screen andadapted to discharge into the lowerniost sluice, and a dischargeconnection below the lowerinost screen and permitting trie water belowthe screens in the jig box to discharge therethrough and into thelowerinost sluice.

2. in apparatus of 'the character de-' scribed comprising a box, aninlet sluice the lowerinost discharge sluice and disposed below thelowern'iost screen, ineans for delivering a pulsating current of waterto the box below the lowerinost screen, said water adapted to dischargepartially upwardly through the screens and partially through thelowerinost discharge connection.

DONALD STEEL.

